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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grosse Pointe, MI

Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.

Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated

5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Grosse Pointe, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
5

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
44

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
8

15 deaths in all

What the records show for Grosse Pointe

None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grosse Pointe; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Grosse Pointe begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 9 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Grosse Pointe has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1964, killed 11 people. Of the 44, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Grosse Pointe. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Grosse Pointe has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 546 Michigan cities.

Compare Grosse Pointe's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grosse Pointe

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2008IkeSep 149 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 457 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 1
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 2256 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 4
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2973 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 142 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Grosse Pointe: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Grosse Pointe

By decade

  • 2020s3
  • 2010s4
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s11(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s14(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s1(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s5(3 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Grosse Pointe, Michigan
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 8, 1964F420 mi3.3 mi11 / 224
Mar 20, 1976F424 mi3.8 mi1 / 55
Jul 4, 1957F414 mi29.9 mi0 / 6
May 12, 1956F414 mi6.8 mi0 / 22
Mar 20, 1976F322 mi17.1 mi1 / 3
Nov 20, 1957F39 mi1.5 mi1 / 12
Sep 14, 1990F37 mi24 mi0 / 0
May 2, 1983F35 mi23 mi0 / 3
Sep 13, 2008EF225 mi2.65 mi0 / 0
Jul 2, 1997F26 mi5 mi0 / 90
Aug 30, 1984F222 mi5.6 mi0 / 4
Jul 16, 1980F216 mi1.3 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Grosse Pointe

The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Grosse Pointe since 1955, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on November 13, 1955. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. July has the most reports, 23.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Grosse Pointe

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, 2 miles northeast of Grosse Pointe at 613 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 36.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.0 inches is more than at 92 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (70%). Hamtramck, 7 miles west, has its own station (Detroit City Airport, MI): 29.9 inches a year, 6.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan32172.179.4
Feb34182.257.4
Mar43252.653.5
Apr56363.470.3
May67483.980.0
Jun77583.680.0
Jul82623.470.0
Aug80613.560.0
Sep73543.370.0
Oct60432.860.0
Nov47322.860.4
Dec37242.466.9
Year574036.07927.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Grosse Pointe Farms, MI (613 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Michigan weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Grosse Pointe

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grosse Pointe: 133 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods, 15 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 6 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $714.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 2, 1997. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 15. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 353 have had fewer than Grosse Pointe.

  • July 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Grosse Pointe — 5 killed, 8 injured, $10.0 million damage.

  • June 27, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Grosse Pointe — 1 killed.

  • September 12, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Grosse Pointe — 1 injured.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.

Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings

Flood insurance policyholders in Grosse Pointe's ZIP code 48230 have filed 39 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $65,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1981: 10 claims (26% of all) and $14,000. 26% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 86 have fewer than Grosse Pointe.

Flood insurance claims in Grosse Pointe by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Flooding198110$14,000

Wayne County, which includes Grosse Pointe, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $401.5 million a year, the highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $237.3 million (59%), is from inland flooding.

Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.

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